Headlines, March 6, 2019

The Korean daily media headlines and humor

Wednesday, March 6, 2019

Round-up of important news from major Korean dailies and from international media today

The Korea Post media (www.koreapost.com) in English, (www.koreapost.co.kr) in Korean.

U.S. refuses to say if in contact with N. Korea after summit breakdown

The United States refused to say on Mar. 5, 2019 whether it has been in contact with North Korea since their summit ended without an agreement last week. State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said the U.S. remains "in regular contact" with the North, but declined to go into detail.

Glass ceiling high in S. Korean C-suite: data

Slightly over 1 in 100 executives at South Korea's top 30 conglomerates are women, data showed on Mar. 5, 2019, pointing to a high C-suite glass ceiling in Asia's fourth-largest economy. As of end-September last year, 256 units of the leading business groups had 21 female directors, a mere 1.3 percent of the total 1,654, according to the data by corporate tracker CEO Score.

Reducing coal power to fight fine dust faces cost challenge

South Korea is seeking to reduce the operation of coal power plants to cope with the alarming level of fine dust in the air, but its plan is facing hurdles in terms of stable energy supply and price issues, industry watchers said on Mar. 6, 2019. According to the Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy, coal-based power is anticipated to take up 28.6 percent, or 36,031 megawatts of the total power capacity of 126,096 MW in 2019.

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KBS (http://world.kbs.co.kr/english/news/)

Fine Dust Reduction Measures Enforced for Record Sixth Straight Day

Emergency fine dust reduction measures were issued across the nation excluding Busan and Ulsan on Wednesday as fine dust levels continued to remain high. The measures will be enforced in 15 of the nation's 17 cities and provinces as the level of ultrafine dust is expected to surpass 50 micrograms per cubic meter. The number of affected cities and provinces increased from nine on Monday to 12 on Tuesday and 15 on Wednesday.

KCTU to Stage One-day General Strike Wednesday

One of the nation's two major umbrella labor unions will stage a one-day general strike to protest the government's move to extend the unit period for the flexible work hour system. The Korean Confederation of Trade Unions(KCTU) also plans to hold rallies at 14 locations across the nation at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, including one in front of the National Assembly in Seoul.

US State Department: Top Envoys of S. Korea, US to Meet Wednesday

The U.S. State Department says the top nuclear envoys of South Korea and the U.S. will meet on Wednesday for talks. State Department deputy spokesman Robert Palladino said on Tuesday that South Korea's top nuclear envoy Lee Do-hoon will meet with his U.S. counterpart Stephen Biegun in Washington on Wednesday.

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Yonhap (http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr)

Fine dust pollution drives up sales of air purifiers, clothes dryers

Worsening fine dust pollution has changed the sales rankings of home appliances over the past three years as more people buy air purifiers and clothes dryers, industry data showed Wednesday. According to leading discount retailer E-Mart, sales of home appliances related to air pollution have jumped over the past three years as more people purchase appliances to help protect themselves from the bad air.

Samsung SDS invests in Israeli startup for cloud computing

Samsung SDS Co., the IT arm of South Korean tech giant Samsung, said Wednesday it has invested in Iguazio, an Israeli startup providing a serverless platform, to enhance its cloud computing service. Samsung SDS said it has bought an equity stake in order to use Iguazio's serverless computing service to better manage its cloud platform but didn't elaborate on the size of its investment.

Amid cross-border detente, S. Korea confronts potential threats from outside

With a new detente keeping the veneer of peace on the peninsula, South Korea has been awakened rudely to the security challenges it faces from without: muscle-flexing regional powers bent on military buildup. China's warplanes have repeatedly violated South Korea's air defense identification zone, most recently last month and some 140 times in 2018 alone. Japan posed threats to South Korean warships with menacing low-altitude flybys in December and January.

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The Korea Herald (http://www.koreaherald.com)

Gyeongnam FC held to 2-2 draw by Shandong in ACL debut

South Korea’s Gyeongnam FC were held to a 2-2 draw by Chinese side Shandong Luneng in their Asian competition debut on Tuesday. Shandong’s Italian striker Graziano Pelle scored twice to deny Gyeongnam a win in their Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Champions League Group E opening match at Changwon Football Center in Changwon, some 400 kilometers south of Seoul.

S. Korean Go master Lee Se-dol considering retiring at end of 2019

South Korean Go master Lee Se-dol, who was famously defeated by Google’s artificial intelligence program AlphaGo, said Tuesday that he might retire at the end of this year. Lee, 36, made the surprising announcement after he fell to his Chinese rival Ke Jie in a special match at a Seoul hotel. “I started playing Go when I was six years old, and I became professional player in 1995,” Lee said. “That’s quite a long time. I think this year may be my last year.”

Will ‘Shazam!’ be DC’s counterpunch against Marvel?

The bitter irony of the film franchise unofficially called DC Extended Universe is that most of its star players have been throwing up bricks while those initially thought of as backups have been slamming it home. It is now up to “Shazam!” a superhero film based on a character of the same name, to pump life into DC in what has been a losing battle against the far more successful Marvel Cinematic Universe.

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The Korea Times (http://www.koreatimes.co.kr)

Trump risk weighs on Korea peace drive

Domestic political problems facing U.S. President Donald Trump could negatively influence talks with North Korea as well as inter-Korean relations, analysts in Seoul said Tuesday They said the failed summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un underscored the high risk of "top down" diplomacy, noting that when this collapses, there is no higher authority to take over and offer a compromise.

Severance founder's philanthropic mindset touches Korean people

Oliver R. Avison, the late founder of Yonsei Severance Hospital, is best known for his commitment to the country's medical development in the early to mid-20th century. But his descendants remember him not just for his accomplishments here, but his philanthropic mindset for the Korean people. Dr. Avison stood at the forefront to promote Western medicine in Seoul by opening the hospital and its education facility, the Severance Union Medical College, in 1904.

Korea's per capita income surpasses $30,000

Korea's per capita gross national income (GNI) surpassed $30,000 for the first time in 2018, 12 years after the figure first surpassed $20,000 in 2006. The Bank of Korea (BOK) said Tuesday that the GNI reached $31,349 last year, up 5.4 percent from the previous year. The central bank forecast that Korea will be able to see the figure reach $40,000 in less than a decade if Asia's fourth-largest economy continues to sustain growth similar to the potential growth rate when excluding variables, such as foreign exchange rates.

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Chosun Ilbo (http://english.chosun.com)

Moon Looks for Ways to Promote Inter-Korean Projects

President Moon Jae-in on Monday instructed officials to look for "as many measures as possible to help U.S.-North Korea dialogue by developing inter-Korean relations within the framework of sanctions." Chairing a meeting of the National Security Council, Moon urged officials to "focus on speed" in cross-border projects that were agreed between the two Korean leaders at summits last year.

Korea, U.S. to End Joint Amphibious Landing Exercise

Seoul and Washington agreed on Monday to end a joint amphibious landing exercise dubbed Ssangyong in April. "U.S. marines have always taken part in the joint annual drill in early April, but this year's drill will be staged by the Korean marines alone," a military spokesman here said. The exercise usually involves a couple of amphibious landing vessels. It is possible that some members of a U.S. marine battalion who will already be here for other training will participate, the spokesman added. Last April, the USS Wasp, a 40,500-ton amphibious assault ship, and six F-35B stealth fighter jets took part.

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HanKyoReh Shinmun (http://english.hani.co.kr)

The importance of understanding each other instead of trying to change each other

If the founding spirit of the Republic of Korea is represented by the Korean Declaration of Independence of Mar. 1, 1919, its US counterpart is the “I Have a Dream” address that was delivered by Martin Luther King, Jr., at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, on Aug. 28, 1963. Under the influence of Gandhi, King organized a nonviolent movement advocating for the civil rights of African-Americans. In 1964, King became the youngest person to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 35. The daughter of this legendary figure, Bernice King, 56, just paid a visit to South Korea.

Moon nominates new ambassadors to China, Japan and Russia

South Korean President Moon Jae-in’s nomination on Mar. 4 of new South Korean ambassadors to China, Japan and Russia – representing three of South Korea’s four major counterparts aside from the US – is being seen as signaling his commitment to re-establishing relations with those countries amid recent rapid changes in the situation surrounding the Korean Peninsula. But his nomination of Jang Ha-sung, former Blue House chief of staff for policy, as ambassador to China despite his lack of any diplomatic experience is coming under fire, with critics describing it as the Blue House “robbing Peter to pay Paul.”

Moon makes North Korea-US dialogue a top policy priority

On Mar. 4, South Korean President Moon Jae-in made preventing North Korea-US dialogue from being derailed a top policy priority. This shift in priority appears to have been motivated by concerns that North Korea and the US’ failure to reach an agreement in their recent summit could cause the situation to spiral out of control. In particular, Moon strongly argued that the South Korean government must ensure it doesn’t miss the “golden time” for tackling the crisis in North Korea-US dialogue with his remark that “it only takes a moment for things to fall apart.”

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The Dong-A Ilbo (http://english.donga.com/)

U.S.-China trade deal could cost S. Korea 23 billion dollars in annual export

A U.S.-China trade could hurt the export earnings of U.S. allies, including South Korea, Japan, and Canada. Experts say South Korea, Japan, and Taiwan would lose over 20 trillion won each in exports annually. If China purchases additional American goods worth 1.35 trillion dollars over the next five years (2019-2024), it would cost Japan 28 billion dollars (3 percent of its export) annually, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday citing Barclays' analysis. It also said that South Korea would suffer a loss of 23 billion dollars (3.1 percent of its exports) annually.

Kolmar Korea develops 3D printed cosmetics

Korean beauty and pharmaceutical company Kolmar Korea announced on Tuesday that it developed the world's first skincare cream printed on high concentration essence. Kolmar Korea signed a strategic partnership with Samyoung Machinery, a company that specializes in manufacturing 3D printers, and engaged in research and development for about two years.

Stolen stone duck returns home in 16 years

Dangsan, a tall stone pillar, is believed to have guarded a village in Dongjung-ri, Buan-eup, Buan, North Jeolla Province, for 300 years from the middle of the Joseon Dynasty. The stone pillar as high as three meters used to have a stone duck, which is 29 centimeters long and 59 centimeters wide, on top of itself. On the day of the first full moon of the Lunar New Year, the village people would hold an annual ritual called “Dangsanje” in front of the stone duck facing Mount Seonghwangsan to wish for peace and good harvest of the year.

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The KyungHyang Shinmun (http://english.khan.co.kr/)

President Moon, "Promptly Promote Inter-Korean Cooperation Within the Boundary of Sanctions"

The government is making a full-fledged effort to mediate the denuclearization negotiations between North Korea and the United States. It has recognized the need to quickly create momentum for talks before the two countries deviate from the path of dialogue. The government also decided to focus on inter-Korean cooperation projects while simultaneously drawing up a compromise between the "step-by-step denuclearization," which North Korea is demanding, and the "one-shot denuclearization," that the U.S. wants--a compromise that both countries could accept.

Sighs Two Years after the Impeachment

The theory that history moves in a spiral seems to be true. Two years after the Constitutional Court dismissed President Park Geun-hye in March 2017, the Republic of Korea has not moved forward. The Liberty Korea Party has returned to before the impeachment. Bak Seong-min, a political analyst divided the current voters in South Korea into four groups accounting for 30%, 20%, 30%, and 20% of the total. The first 30% is the progressive camp; the second 20% is the moderates leaning toward the progressives; the third 30% is the moderate conservatives; and the last 20% is the hardline conservatives represented by the Taegeukgi group. Currently, the Liberty Korea Party has an approval rating of 20% according to Gallup Korea and 28% according to Realmeter.

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Maeil Business News Korea ( http://www.pulsenews.co.kr/)

Competition in S. Korean LCC market intensifies with 9 operators

The South Korean low-cost carrier (LCC) market welcomes three newcomers as the government has issued additional LCC operating licenses, intensifying competition in the LCC market already crowded with six players. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport announced on Tuesday that it granted business licenses to three new budget airlines – Aero-K, Fly Gangwon and Air Premia that have passed the government’s evaluation of their business feasibility, financial capability, aircraft safety assurance, and passenger convenience.

S. Korea’s GNI per capita surpasses $30,000 for first time in 2018

South Korea’s per capita gross national income (GNI) surpassed $30,000 for the first time last year, a milestone achieved in 12 years after it passed the $20,000 mark in 2006. According to preliminary data from the Bank of Korea (BOK) on Tuesday, the nation’s per capita GNI reached $31,349 last year, up 5.4 percent from a year earlier. It is the first time for the country’s per capita GNI to exceed the $30,000 mark, indicating Korea has joined the ranks of advanced economies.

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Lee Kyung-sik edt@koreapost.com